ISLAMABAD – The government should implement the recommendations made in the reports of the parliamentary committees as it is the only way to ensure sovereignty of the parliament. These observations were made by the members of the National Assembly after the report of the special parliamentary committee probing the National Assembly Employees Cooperative Housing Society (NAECHS) scam was presented in the House by its convener, Sheikh Waqas Akram.
In his remarks, Akram narrated the circumstances he along with other members of the special committee faced during the process of the probe into the scam. “During the course of the probe, we had to face threats, temptations, and pressures. Let me tell you 80 per cent members of the House approached me or other members of this committee, pleading favour for those involved in the scam. Very influential people approached us to seek favour but we did not bow to any pressure,” remarked the PML-Q MNA.
Explaining the achievements of the committee, Akram said though the committee had been sent the matter of 230 kanals, it succeeded in retrieving 360 kanals of land of the society worth Rs 550 million. “It took us six months to finalise this report and during this course, we heard every person and allowed every one to give his version freely,” he added.
He said if the government did not take action in accordance with recommendations, then someone else would have to do so. “When the parliament does not act on its reports, what would be the fate of the so-called parliament’s sovereignty for which the ministers talk about so much? There was inaction by the government on my earlier two reports after which we had to move to the apex court,” he asserted. He asked the government to take action prior to any action by the apex court.
He added implementation on the committees’ reports was the only way to ensure the parliament’s sovereignty. He also sought assistance from the speaker’s office in implementing the recommendations of the committee, saying there was no support to the committee from the National Assembly Secretariat. Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi assured Akram of full assistance from the speaker’s office. Leader of the Opposition Chauhdry Nisar Ali Khan also endorsed Akram, saying the committee had proved its worth with a good work done.
“Now the executive should act in accordance with the recommendations. If no action is taken, then we will move a resolution in the next session, asking the government to do the needful,” he added. PPP MNA Noor Alam Khan, another member of the special committee, also shared his experiences and elaborated how the members of the committee underwent different pressures. He also gave the credit to the young MNAs who refused to yield to any pressure and filed the report.
The committee has recommended sacking of two top officials of the National Assembly Secretariat for their involvement in NAECHS scam, Deputy Secretary Tariq Ayyub Khakwani and Joint Secretary Shahid Jilani.
